


anywhere with you, i'll call my home

by coupe_de_foudre



Series: you don't get to say goodbye [2]
Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Kissing, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Picnics, Post-Canon, Puppies, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22759126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coupe_de_foudre/pseuds/coupe_de_foudre
Summary: Tom blushes, and it’s a wonderful sight. He ducks his head but Will catches the movement by hooking fingers under the man’s chin and lifts him back up.
Relationships: Tom Blake/William Schofield
Series: you don't get to say goodbye [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636306
Comments: 14
Kudos: 173





	anywhere with you, i'll call my home

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally an idea by bayonsenoals over on [Tumblr](https://a-beautiful-struggle-of-life.tumblr.com/) (come say hi!). We were just talking about the boys under a tree with a picnic and puppies and I was a goner so, here ya go! 
> 
> This is a second part to [you don't get to say goodbye](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22618387) because I thought it would fit nicely and also I just love that fic so much ngl. Thanks for all the love y'all left on it! This can be read separately though so don't worry if you haven't read that one.
> 
> Title from Better Half of Me by Tom Walker.

Myrtle’s puppies are growing fast, considering Will remembers the day that Tom had told him of the news only a few months ago. He supposes they would grow quickly, not that he’s ever had a dog to actually know this. Although, judging by their current size already, he’s almost certain it won’t take long before they start resembling their mother more.

At the moment however, they still remain stumbling, uncoordinated bundles of brown fluff with heads much too big for their bodies.

There's five of them in total. In his few weeks here, Will has had the pleasure of befriending each of them. They’re almost identical but, even at such a young age, their personalities already differ greatly. Will's favourite two happen to be out with him and Tom right now: Rose and Zeus. Rose is the only girl in the pack – with a particular love for Tom, made quite clear through the fact that you’re unlikely to find one more than an arm's length away from the other at any time. She clearly dotes on him. Even now, Rose is tucked safely between Tom's bicep and ribs (the young man lying on his back beside Will).

Zeus is a bit more sociable. Name chosen from the distinct white patch of fur that bolts down the side of his face, he's the more adventurous pup of the family. As Will relaxes on the picnic blanket they’ve spread out over the dewy grass, Zeus is climbing up his side and jumping on his stomach – attacking the loose thread on one of his shirt buttons (that Will is sure the pup caused in the first place). It’s hard to believe Zeus was the runt of the pack, and his overly large floppy ears betray his wild character even further.

A cold wetness hits Will on the cheek and he blinks his eyes open to glare at Zeus. His nose nudges against Will's face again in a defiant manner and he sighs. “You’re relentless, aren’t you?”

Zeus makes a sound, somewhere between a bark and a whine, before practically pouncing onto Will's stomach once again and eliciting a pained groan from the man. The pup really had no awareness.

“Bastard.” he muttered, but the smile he could feel tugging at his lips threw out the possibility of any seriousness.

A muffled giggle to his right had Will turning his head, closing one eye to shield himself from the bright sun. Tom was watching him, eyes sparkling crystal blue under this light (so different from when they were back in the trenches) and Will was reminded yet again of the true beauty of this man. Or, and he smiles just at the thought, _his_ man.

“What’s so funny?”

Tom smirks, eyes flickering between Will's face and the puppy that's not attacking the hem of his shirt – pulling it up enough to make Will shiver from the sudden chill breeze on his skin.

“Just you.”

Will scoffs, “Wow, thanks. Glad I could be the source of your amusement.”

Tom laughs, louder this time, and reaches his hand out to rest it over Will's – careful not to wake Rose. “He loves you, ‘s'all.”

Will glances back down at Zeus, cocking at eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

A finger gently traces circles over his palm, sending a warm tingle up Will's arm. “Course I am.” Tom smiles, before his face turns serious and he twists his body to lean closer. He stared eye to eye with Zeus, who has stopped his jumping to look up at the movement. “You better not be plotting to steal my man.”

Will burst out laughing, Zeus jolting at the sudden earthquake beneath his paws. Tom looked up at him, mock hurt written over his face. That only caused Will to laugh more, hand coming up to brush knuckles over the soft skin of Tom's cheek and marvel at how the man’s features melted into a look of pure adoration with such a simple gesture. Meeting Tom's eyes, tilting his head to block the sun from his view, he spoke with utter fondness, “You should know my heart belongs to you.”

Tom blushes, and it’s a wonderful sight. He ducks his head but Will catches the movement by hooking fingers under the man’s chin and lifts him back up. Forced to look at him, Tom pulls his lower lip between his teeth and stares. Will worries for a moment that he may have overstepped, perhaps Tom wasn’t meaning for all of this to be that serious after all, but his overactive mind is soon shut off when lips press to his own and hands come to reside by his face.

Moaning softly into the kiss, Will tangles his fingers into the silky brown curls above him and tugged just gentle enough for Tom to get the message – shuffling until he’s hovering over Will's body and able to deepen the kiss at a more comfortable angle. Tom tastes of cheese and apples, a result of their earlier picnic lunch, – something Will never thought he'd find pleasurable until now. Maybe because he knew that it was Tom, wholly and undeniably all Tom. His lips were like honey, languidly moving against his own and pulling him deeper and deeper until it was all consuming. Will wasn’t even sure if he was breathing, or if he'd just submitted himself and was now relying on Tom to be his source of life. Because that’s what kissing the younger man felt like.

He’d have quite happily remained there, kissing Tom until the afternoon sun gave way to a silver moon, but the rustling sound of excited movement next to him drew him back to his surroundings. Turning away from the kiss, Tom breathing warmly over his skin and dropping his head so that lips pressed to Will's pulse point just below his jaw, Will looked for the source of the interruption. Low and behold, he found Zeus burying himself face first into the half-eaten ham sandwich he'd left out.

Tutting, picking the pup up as carefully as he could and tucking him snugly between his chest and Tom's, Will wrapped the sandwich up and threw it back into the hamper they'd brought with them. They hadn’t gone far, choosing to enjoy the unusually nice weather under one of many cherry trees in Mrs Blake's orchard. Hence why pale petals were dancing mindlessly through the breeze, scattering the ground like a light dusting of snow. It reminds Will of Tom's stories, the ones he’d tell of his childhood home and his family, and it all starts to feel like some cruel dream. That perhaps Tom didn’t survive his injuries and Will was just having some horrible, twisted nightmare.

But the feeling of teeth on his throat, followed by the caress of a hot tongue, vanished all thoughts.

Will smiled, head turning to look back at Tom (who was now pouting down at him like a small child desperate for attention). “You’re insufferable.” he told Tom, but his voice said the exact opposite.

Tom met his smile, proceeding to dip his head (making sure not to squash the puppy that had somehow now fallen asleep between them) and connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. It was short-lived, just establishing that contact that they both so often craved, but in Will's mind any kiss with Tom was pure perfection. “I love you.” Tom whispered against his lips, nudging Will's nose with his own.

Will chuckled, head tilting up to brush his lips to Tom's again – but with no intention of kissing him, merely just wanting to feel those beautiful lips on his. Just because they could do that now and Will didn’t think he'd ever grow tired of it.

“I love you too.” he mumbled, and despite it being half muffled into Tom's mouth the younger man understood him perfectly. Responding to his words with a pleased sound before moving his lips against Will's, flawlessly transitioning into another kiss. Will doesn’t disappoint, reacting immediately as his eyes flutter closed. With the weight of Tom on top of him, the heat of his body and the sun beating down on them combined, Will feels like time is non-existent.

He’s not sure how long they lie there, lips dancing seamlessly together, parted to allow Tom's tongue to slip into his mouth and find his own in a way that only comes with familiarity. The fingers tickling his jaw, playing with a loose curl at the back of his neck, the awkward bump of noses followed by a sheepish giggle, the way they easily fall back into each other and lose themselves all over again as though it’s their first time...it feels like coming home. Will never wants to lose this feeling.

“Boys?” Mrs Blake’s voice rings through the orchard, and Will tenses. Tom jumps away, eyes wide but darkened. His hair is slightly dishevelled, cheeks flushed a happy pink, and the ache of not being able to continue kissing the young man is overwhelming in that moment. But Will knows they can’t risk it, not yet. Tom's mother isn’t aware that he and Tom are anything more than just good friends. She's been unbelievably kind enough to let Will stay with them for as long as she has already, he'd hate to ruin that by letting her witness him making out with her youngest son.

It'd be bad enough getting kicked out, but Will could find some other place to stay for a while. But the last thing he'd want to do was risk getting Tom kicked out of his own home too.

Although, sometimes Will questions exactly how much Mrs Blake knows; he often catches her sending him knowing looks, smiling whenever he and Tom argue about silly things, and in all the time he's stayed here she hasn’t once brought up the topic of wives or girlfriends. It’s only been a few weeks, and yet she treats Will like one of her own. She gives Will the impression of a woman that knows much more than she lets on.

“Oh, there you are.” Mrs Blake smiles, rounding the corner just as Tom shuffles an inch of space between them. Will tries not to grin like a love-stricken fool when Tom picks up Rose, who must have woken up at the added sound of voices, and raises her up to his face to stick his tongue out goofily. He presses a kiss to the pup's wrinkly head and Will is a goner, for sure.

“Sorry, Ma.” Tom says, putting on his best innocent face. Will recognises it from the many times he's had it directed his way (usually after the younger man had stolen his stash of treats during their time in France).

Clearly, it has the same effect on Mrs Blake as it does on Will because she uncrosses her arms and beams down at him. “Don’t worry yourself. I was just wondering where you'd got yourselves off to. Dinner shan't be long, don’t forget to wash up before coming in.” she told them, motherly tone laced with kindness.

Tom nods, “Thanks, Ma. We'll head in shortly.”

She looks from Tom to Will, something calculating in her eyes, before seeming satisfied and leaving with a nod of her head. Will feels himself relax, Tom noticing and placing a hand over his own. Smiling down at their entwined fingers, Will settles back into his previous position of lying on the ground. Tom soon follows suit, this time situation himself much closer to Will so that he can rest his head on his chest (next to Zeus' sleeping form), curls tickling Will’s face. The weight is comforting, and Will finds himself wrapping an arm around the younger man.

“I think she knows.” Will speaks up after a moment. Tom doesn’t make any indication that he's heard, and he briefly thinks he may have fallen asleep.

“What makes you think that?” Tom’s voice is quiet, muffled by Will's shirt.

Will hums, wondering what exactly it is that gives him that impression. “I’m not sure.” he decides, but he's still certain that she must know something.

Tom shifts on top of him, hand coming to rest by his face – palm directly over Will's beating heart. A kiss is pressed to the spot, and Will lets out a shaky breath. “Maybe she does.” Tom finally speaks up again. “But until she says anything, we don’t gotta worry.”

Silently agreeing, Will snakes his hand up Tom's back, residing in the man's hair and twirling brown locks around his index finger mindlessly. Tom's right. Of course he is, when isn’t he? And perhaps, if they’re lucky, they won’t have anything to worry about anyway. Although, Will has never been one to rely on hope; hope is a dangerous thing.

But, for now at least, they might as well enjoy each other's company as best they can.

**Author's Note:**

> Tysm for reading!! All kudos and comments are always appreciated, sorry if it sometimes takes me a while to reply. I still love y'all <3


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